The Drunk Logs (24 page)

“What happened?”

“Oh, all the pertinent parties got involved and they shipped the guy to another facility. The only reason Jack Jack stayed was because his father donated some money. The guy killed himself later, but not because of Jack Jack. His brain was already fried from all the drugs he did,” Bobby said as he thumped his chest, presumably from heartburn.

Again, the entertainment room exploded as I looked over, and Jack Jack still stared in, still frozen.

Bobby picked up his empty plate and headed toward the kitchen. “Well, I’m finished, gonna put this away and go to bed. Good night, Matt.”

“Good night, Bobby.”

Tired, I yawned once more and decided to do the same. Tomorrow was another day.

Chapter 13

“Good morning, gentlemen, isn’t it a great day to be sober?” Carl yelled, as he squeezed his head into the room.

“Shut up, Carl. Do you have to say that every damn morning?” Pat said as he threw the comforter over his head.

I struggled to open my eyes as I tried to bring Carl into focus.

He smiled cynically and looked back toward Pat. “Oh, how I have been blessed that the higher powers that be have placed an individual like you into my life, Pat. But, I have others to spread the good word to. Breakfast is at 9 o’clock, so please attend all scheduled events that are on your daily schedule. The nurses’ station is up and running, so if you need any medication or medical attention, it is back where you have always gone before. And gentlemen…have a nice day.”

Taking a deep breath, I sat up in bed and closed my eyes. In a daze I found myself falling back to sleep and jerked awake. I flipped off the comforter, walked to the closet, and opened it. I stared in with my eyes half open and struggled to remember what I was supposed to be doing.

“Shower,” I whispered to myself. I reached in and grabbed a towel and my toiletries.

With items in hand, I shuffled, dazed, past Pat, who had gone back to sleep, only to find the patients similar to me, as they walked the hall aimlessly between their rooms, the kitchen, and the tables where the newspapers lay.

The shower room was empty, to my surprise, but I hurried nonetheless, before anyone arrived.

Afterwards, I found that the halls were fuller. “Done, just in time,” I whispered to myself. “What a good way to start the day.”

Back in the room, Pat snored and scratched his genitals as he slept. So as not to wake him, I quickly changed and was pleasantly surprised by my reflection in the mirror. My swollen face had vanished; I looked normal again. It felt good not to squint as I put my glasses on.

By the elevator, I noticed Jack Jack, Sam, and Mick. As I approached, my two friends looked exhausted, and Mick was just high from the meds.

“Good morning, guys,” I said.

They all grunted as we entered the elevator and waited on Mick, who had just begun to walk.

The tension built as we watched Mick slowly move forward. As the door closed, Jack Jack reached his hand out, and pushed it back.

“Come on, Mick, come on. I know you can do it, just a few more steps,” Jack Jack coached Mick. “Come on, keep ’er going, don’t stop on me now. Just one more step and…you’re in. Good job, Mick, I couldn’t have done it without you.”

The door closed as we all chuckled and shook our heads, while Mick, who was oblivious, readied himself to speak.

The door opened and we exited leaving Mick behind.

“You’re on your own, Mick,” Jack Jack said. “I need my morning cigarette.”

The outside door opened and the cold morning breeze slapped us in the face. We shivered as we lit our cigarettes and walked double time up the path to the empty pavilion. We rested at the first picnic table, continued to puff on our cigarettes, and absorbed our surroundings.

This morning was different from other mornings. It looked and smelled fresh and brand new, like a hot loaf of bread that just came out of the oven. It was quiet, except for the geese in the pond surrounded by the splashing water and the employees who parked their cars in the back lot. The vibrant colors from the leaves in the forest and the flowers around the tennis court became warm from the sun that pierced through the clouds. While the grass shook off the dew, it mimicked us, cold and alone in the pavilion.

“Damn, that’s better than a cup of coffee,” I said as I shivered.

“What, the cold?” Sam asked, as his lips turned blue.

“Yeah, it definitely wakes you up.”

As we raised our cigarettes to our mouths, our hands shook as bad as when we first arrived, when the wind smacked more patients who exited the building and hurried to the pavilion.

“Well, there goes our peace and quiet,” Jack Jack said, as his teeth chattered.

Victoria and Bobby, who didn’t seem to be bothered by the cold, walked casually up the path. Suddenly, Sam nudged Jack Jack and pointed toward the crowd.

“Do you see who I see?”

“Yep.”

Emerging from the middle of the crowd was Fie, who walked a straight line toward Jack Jack.

“Brace yourself, buddy,” Sam patted him on his back. “Who knows what she’s going to do?”

She wasn’t the old shriveled woman from before, but instead, the color and life had returned into her complexion.

Going on the defensive, Jack Jack prepared for the worst, but before he could speak, Fie smiled.

“I would say you’re actually good looking,” Fie said to Jack Jack. “You look nothing like how they described.”

“Who?” Jack Jack asked.

“Oh, everybody,” she said as she reached into Jack Jack’s back pocket and grabbed his cigarettes.

She pulled one out, threw the cigarette pack onto the table, and sat down. She grabbed a lighter from the table and lit the cigarette. Sam and I were amazed at her audacity and watched curiously to see what Jack Jack might do. To our surprise, he was quite taken with her demeanor and sat down next to her.

“What the hell is she doing here?” Victoria said, behind Sam and me.

We didn’t wish to get in the middle of things and mumbled as we walked towards Bobby.

“So, you ready for group today, Bobby?” I asked.

Deflated, he took a puff of his cigarette. “Oh yeah, Robby gets to speak today. That will be fun.”

Huddled together, we smoked our cigarettes as Victoria joined us, and watched Jack Jack and Fie.

“Well, lookee there,” said Sam. “Seems we have an admirer?”

“Where?” I asked.

“Don’t look right away, but Dicklicker is watching us above the window from the nurses’ station.”

We took turns as we glanced up at the window, where Dr. Lyedecker stood like a mannequin in plain view with arms crossed. He watched every movement we made, not shy to reveal his presence. All the while, Jack Jack paid no attention and continued to flirt with Fie.

“What do you think his problem is?” I said.

“He’s probably pissed that he couldn’t get any evidence on you and Jack Jack for the fire extinguisher incident,” said Bobby as he looked up and waved.

“Don’t do that, man,” Sam said nervously.

“What is he going to do? We didn’t do anything. Besides, if he tries something, I’ll go all white ninja on his ass,” Bobby said as he did a motion that resembled a high karate kick.

Sam scraped his cigarette on the wooden post of the pavilion and threw it into the concrete ashtray. He started to walk down the path and signaled it was time for breakfast. Without a word said, Bobby and I followed suit, joined him half way down, and left Jack Jack alone as he talked to Fie.

Inside the cafeteria, Pat was already eating breakfast with Father Tom, when Sam, Bobby, and I joined them. We slammed our trays down and attacked our food.

“Well, so much for the nice quiet breakfast,” Pat said as he slid his tray over.

Bobby quickly shoved the food into his mouth, looked up at Pat, and swallowed before he spoke. “Hey, it’s not often we get scrambled eggs, bacon, and sausage. You better hurry and get seconds before it’s all gone.”

“I wouldn’t worry about getting seconds, Bobby. If you hadn’t noticed, there’s barely anyone here, so why don’t we let them have their firsts,” he said in a snide voice, as he rammed his fork into his fruit cup.

“What’s got you so bent out of shape this morning?” Bobby said. He had finished his food, and was embarrassed he wanted more.

“It’s Carl. Every fricken’ morning, he wakes us up with that same stupid saying of his. ‘Good morning, isn’t it a great day to be sober?’ I’m getting tired of it.”

“Ah, don’t worry, you’ll be out of here soon enough,” Sam said.

“Not as soon as some of the people.”

Everyone stared at one another, scared to ask the question. After a few moments, I spoke, for I had the most time left to give.

“Like who, who’s going?”

“I’m not exactly sure, but when I got my meds this morning I heard the nurses talking that they need to clear a few of the detox rooms by the end of the week. So, I would imagine the counselors will be telling the people at group today.”

I noticed that my friends appeared frustrated, but hopeful. They bottled their emotions and began to eat, tell stories, and just plain stare at the clock above the double doors, or count the minutes that had begun to move slowly. We finished our meals and grouped together. They did not proceed to have cigarettes, but instead went to their rooms and planned their quickest exit, if by chance their number was called.

Having a few minutes to kill, I lay on my bed, continued to read my Big Book, and absorbed every bit of information that would help me lead a life I so desperately desired. Meanwhile Pat, who pretended to look for an article of clothing or knickknack, reviewed his entire inventory and quietly whispered to God for a favor.

As I looked at the clock above the door, Jack Jack banged the outside wall, and looked in. “What the hell is everybody up to? Everyone looks like they’re constipated, and why didn’t you guys tell me that you were going for breakfast?”

“At that time, we didn’t feel it was polite to interrupt you two love birds,” I smiled, as I read.

With a glow on his face and a strut, he threw himself onto Pat’s bed, and crossed his legs while his arms folded behind his head.

“C’mon, Jack Jack, you’re messing up my bed!” Pat cried, as he tried to push him off.

“Yeah, you never know what the day is gonna bring you. You lose your ex-wife, more than likely your girlfriend, and in walks someone you never expected you would take a shine to.”

I turned to Jack Jack, rested on my elbow, and appeared disgusted. “Fie…Fie, of all people?”

“That’s right, pumpkin head, got myself a new woman,” he smiled ear to ear. “We hit it off and she said that if I needed a place to stay when I get out, I can live with her.”

“And what makes her the right candidate for his highness?” Pat said as he bowed.

“Besides the fact that she has her own house and money from her divorce, she likes me. Even gave me her number and address to hook up with her later.” He pulled out a small piece of paper from his pocket.

“Well, you better be careful. You know what they say about relationships in rehab,” I said.

“That’s for in here. Outside is different. You can have them, you just have to take them slow and stuff.”

Jack Jack stood and rubbed his stomach. “I’m going to the kitchenette to get something to eat. You guys want anything?”

“No,” we said in unison.

“To all patients, group lecture will start in ten minutes. Group lecture will start in ten minutes.”

“Right on cue,” I said.

As we proceeded into the hall, we all marched to a different beat as we congregated in our respected groups. We believed that a force of many was better than a force of one. In the distance a faint voice screamed, and grew louder through the crowd as Pat and I met up with Bobby and Craig.

Out of breath, Jack Jack stopped just in front of us. “Man, I thought I would have more time then that.”

In typical Jack Jack fashion, he wiggled his way to the front of the group. Always being the first to enter any room, he started the hellos and motioned for everyone to sit down.

Frantically, Maureen typed away at her computer and stated she could not begin until all persons have entered. We grunted and agreed.

As we fidgeted in our chairs and listened to the keys smack down on the keypad, Ben, William, and Robby slowly entered. Without looking, Maureen asked Robby to close the door behind him, which he sluggishly did.

As the sound of the last key punctured the silence, Maureen spun around in her chair and greeted everyone in the group. We positioned ourselves, ready for the next hour and a half.

“Before we begin I would like to take this time to mention who has completed their stay here and will be released in the next few days, hopefully taking with them the knowledge that they have gained,” she said in caring voice.

Lifting her clipboard, she flipped through her papers, while anxiety and excitement filled the air from the patients who wanted to stay, and the patients who wanted to leave.

She caressed the paper with her finger and stopped at the lucky or unlucky names, which depended on how you looked at it.

“Okay, first is Robby. You will be leaving on Wednesday. So your last day of group will be on Tuesday. Do you have someone who can pick you up or do we need to arrange transportation?”

Robby appeared lost and careful to process every last word.

“Oh, uh, yeah, I can get somebody to pick me up,” he said what he thought was the correct answer.

“Who?” asked Maureen, as she clicked her pen and waited for an answer.

“Huh?”

“Who?” asked Maureen, clearly agitated. “What is the name of the person who will be picking you up?”

“Uh, my buddy, Willie Jones. He’s the union steward where I work.”

“And will he be taking you to the address we have on file, where you marked down as home?”

“Huh?” He leaned forward and motioned for her to speak louder.

Her lips tightened and eyes widened, but before she could speak, she was interrupted.

“She asked if Willie Jones is the guy who’s going to take you to the address you marked down as home!” Bobby screamed.

“Oh, yeah…yeah,” he nodded his head and leaned back in his chair.